Jazz Chisholm Jr.-powered Yankees seek sweep of Mariners

Even as the New York Yankees struggled, Jazz Chisholm Jr. kept hitting.

On Wednesday, New York matched Chisholm’s performance by getting a third straight win for the first time in nearly a month.

When the Yankees host the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night, they will attempt to get four straight victories for the first time since late May.

Chisholm is hitting .316 (36-for-114) in 31 games since returning from an oblique injury on June 3. The Yankees are 15-19 since June 3 and are seeking their first four-game winning streak since beating the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels during a five-game run from May 24-28.

“It’s been dynamic,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Chisholm’s contribution. “That’s what we brought him here to do, and he’s done it.”

Chisholm homered twice and drove in four runs as the Yankees never trailed in a 9-6 win on Wednesday. The Yankees totaled 13 hits in the victory and have 38 in their past three games and double-digit hits in nine of their past 19 games.

Chisholm isn’t the only New York hitter on a hot streak. Cody Bellinger had an RBI single, two hits and is batting .400 (24-for-60) during a 14-game hitting streak that is one shy of his career best, set May 3-21.

J.P. Crawford and Jorge Polanco hit solo homers while Randy Arozarena and rookie Cole Young hit two-run shots for the Mariners, who are trying to avoid being swept for the first time since June 9-11 at Arizona.

“Tough one tonight,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said. “I thought the guys fought back, they tried to get back into this game, picking up four homers tonight.”

Cal Raleigh hit his major-league-leading 36th homer Tuesday but struck out twice Wednesday and went 0-for-4. The All-Star catcher is 3-for-24 in his past seven games and 7-for-44 in his past 13.

After Mariners pitchers followed three straight shutouts by allowing 19 runs in the first two games of the Yankees series, right-hander Bryan Woo (8-4, 2.77 ERA) will start for Seattle in the series finale.

Woo has completed at least six innings in each of his 17 starts and matched Mark Langston (1987) for the second-longest streak in team history to open a season when he allowed three hits in six innings during Seattle’s 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. Randy Johnson holds the franchise record with 20 consecutive starts of at least six innings, set in 1993.

Woo is 3-0 with an 0.72 ERA in his past four starts. He is 2-1 with a 2.82 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees. He allowed four hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings during Seattle’s 2-1, 11-inning home win on May 13. He took a no-decision.

New York’s Marcus Stroman (1-1, 7.45 ERA) will make his third start since missing over two months with a knee injury. After pitching five innings and giving up one run to the Athletics on June 29, the right-hander took a no-decision Friday against the host New York Mets when he allowed three runs in five innings.

Stroman is 1-2 with a 3.15 ERA in six career appearances (five starts) against the Mariners.

–Field Level Media